Community Living

Living on campus at the University of Connecticut is a wonderful, positive experience. The impact that on-campus living has on a student’s academic and social life is significant. To create a positive learning community each resident must take an active role in the development of the living environment. Residential Life staff are excited about collaborating with you to develop a positive community in your residential area. This guide has been created to assist you in establishing the community that you expect and desire.

Before you arrive on campus, you can begin to develop a relationship with your roommate.

Be optimistic! Living with people you have no prior experience with is a great opportunity to develop life long relationships. The key is to be open to new ideas and experiences.

All relationships take a while to develop and staff in Residential Life are trained to assist you in the process of getting to know your roommate and floor mates. Take some time to get to know your roommate and floor mates, first impressions or information found on Facebook are not always an accurate representation of your roommates’ true personality.

Roommates are matched based on the information provided on the housing application. This method has created wonderful roommate pairing is past years.

If possible, discuss with your roommate what items each of you wants to bring and are willing to share. Keep in mind that not all students are from Connecticut, some travel great distances to come to school at UConn. These students, along with many others may not have the ability to bring large and expensive items to school. Also, having more than one TV, refrigerator, carpet, window fan, phone, set of shelves, or microwave in a room isn’t a good idea. The rooms aren’t that large!

Be sure to discuss how you want to set up the room, or better yet wait until you both arrive to finalize your room set up.

Move in day can be a great opportunity to meet each other’s family or friends. It is important to discuss how many people each of you are bringing to help you move in.

Recognize that living with another person in close quarters is a learning experience. Patience and communication will make it successful.

Once you arrive on campus, developing a relationship with your roommate and community is important.

Be opened minded as you get to know your roommate and other community members. Don’t be afraid to share your ideas and thoughts as well as your needs related to privacy, studying, and noise levels with your roommate and community members. Good communication will help all of you feel comfortable.

The more time and energy you invest in getting to know your residence hall community and your roommate, the more you will get from the experience. So, attend as many community events as you can!!

Communication is a two way street. As a college student, you are expected to offer and accept suggestions and feedback in a way that promotes understanding and positive growth. Getting mad or upset won’t change your situation. However, talking through your issues can help change a negative situation into a positive one.

Even the best relationships have trouble at times and your relationship with your roommate is no different. Constant communication prevents concerns from building up and hurting your relationship and yourself.

If you have any questions or concerns, talk with your roommate first. If you cannot resolve the issue, your Resident Assistant and Hall Director are available to assist you.

Once you are settled, during the third week of the semester, you and your roommate will develop a roommate agreement. This document helps you discuss your needs and expectations in respect to living with each other. Honesty during this conversation will help you avoid potential issues during the semester.

You will also work with your floor mates to create a Community Standards Agreement. This agreement outlines the expected behaviors and goals of the community. This will enable all of the residents to contribute to the creation of an environment that is conducive to both academic and personal success.

ResLife Ambasssadors

The ResLife Ambassador program is dedicated to providing both current and prospective students, as well as their support systems, student perspectives about living on campus.

We have established a group of current students living on campus called Res Life Ambassadors. These ambassadors exist to to help individuals get a better feeling for what it is like to live on campus. All ambassadors are current undergraduate students who live on campus and have had personal experience in different situations.

If you are wondering what it is like to go through a room change, work a situation out with a roommate, live in traditional style housing vs. non-traditional style housing, be part of a learning community or other questions they can give you their perspective. So go ahead and ask them, they will be able to share their opinion and some tips to help make living on campus the best experience possible for you or your student.

Bias-Related Incidents

Unfortunately, a few students may abuse their community standing to negatively impact others. A bias-related incident is an incident that negatively targets, intimidates, or threatens an individual or group due to race, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, physical, mental, and intellectual disabilities, as well as past/present history of mental disorders. For more information about reporting a bias-related incident, click here.